The accurate detection of in-vivo glucose concentrations is essential to the treatment and care of the diabetic patient. Current technology generally requires that a blood sample be obtained from a patient for the measurement of blood glucose levels. In order to accurately reflect the body's ever-changing response to meals, activities and even stress, measurement of blood glucose should be on a frequent basis. Due to the a discomfort and biohazard issues, the frequent sampling of a patient's blood to determine glucose levels is impractical, at best. Thus, devices and methods to frequently monitor blood glucose levels without taking numerous blood samples from a patient are desirable.
Fluorescent reporter molecules may be useful in monitoring changing glucose levels in-vivo. However, in order to use fluorescent reporter molecules to detect and measure the concentration of glucose in-vivo, numerous problems need to be surmounted. One particular problem is that fluorescence transmitted through skin is generally poor at visible wavelengths less than about 500 nm. Furthermore, at wavelengths less than about 500 nm, there is an additional problem of background autofluorescence from tissue which decreases the signal to noise ratio of the transmitted fluorescent signal.
Embodiments of this invention address the problem of obtaining adequate optical transmission of fluorescence using fluorescent reporter molecules in-vivo to report on the body's fluctuating glucose concentrations.